Hair curlers of the most varied constructions are known in the prior art for dry or vapor hair-setting systems as, for example, disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,520,832; 4,453,554 and 4,526,184. Hair curlers designed specifically for microwave heating are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,538,630 and 4,710,609. However, the prior art hair curlers do not provide a good heat source nor a good insulation around the outside of the hair on the curler when the hair is wound around the curler on the head. Another problem encountered with the prior art hair curlers is the likelihood of hair unwinding from the curlers after the hair is wound upon them and while they remain in place for setting the hair. Moreover, many prior art curlers also require clips to hold the hair onto the curler. Because of the need for different sizes of clips for different sizes of desired curlers, the prior art curlers then posed a problem of quickly locating the right size of clip for the desired size of curler to be used. Additionally, the prior art curlers permit unimpeded heat radiation from the previously heated curlers into the air which not only reduces the energy efficiency, but also the effectiveness of the curlers.